ABSTRACT
Since its inception in 1961, Amnesty International (AI), an international human rights organization, has experienced incredible technological change: from pen and paper, Gestetner machines, and conventional mail to short text messaging, satellite news feeds, and “Web-casts” all transmitted in real time. 1 However, the adoption of new forms of communication has not necessarily led to the abandonment of more established tools, nor is the adoption of new technologies always a desirable development. Internationally, many AI supporters continue to handwrite appeals and mail these by regular post; telexes and telegrams continue to be used in some countries; and while text messaging may be a popular new medium alerting subscribers to “calls to action,” cyberactivists are still urged to follow up all e-mailed appeals or electronic petitions with an old-fashioned, personalized “snail-mailed” or faxed letter. Although speed of action is an important strength of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the more varied the medium and means of communication, the more accessible the campaign to both members and potential activists. Moreover, a diverse toolkit allows a greater degree of flexibility when the aim is to influence states and nonstate actors that have widely divergent technological capacities and equally varied views of ICTs.
